Verrone



|- VERRONE PULL-DOWN NIGHT LIGHT Filed June 7, 1962 March 24, 1964 400/5 V'e/eaA/E drive/vars United States Patent 3,126,159 PULL-DOWN NIGHT LIGHT Louis Verrone, Pearl River, N.Y., assignor to Swivelier Company, Inc., Nanuet, N.Y. Filed June 7, 1962, Ser. No. 200,807 2 Claims. (Cl. 240-73) This invention relates to a lighting fixture, and more particularly to a fixture for a night light in which the bulb is readily removable from the fixture.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a night light fixture from which the lamp assembly can be partially withdrawn to facilitate replacement of the bulb.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a night light fixture in which bulbs can be simply and rapidly replaced and which, during bulb replacement therein, does not expose any electrical connections.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description, in the light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE /1 is a rear elevation, partially in section, of one embodiment of the night light fixture of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation, partially in section, of the fixture shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the supporting canopy for the lamp assembly, showing the cut out in which the assembly is received; and

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, showing the lamp assembly in the position in which it is partially withdrawn from the canopy, to facilitate replacement of a burnt out bulb.

Referring now to the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, 11 is a supporting canopy which is suitably mounted, as to a wall surface, and which supports the night light. The canopy may, if desired, additionally support a further light fixture such as a stationary or swivel-mounted fixture. As shown in the drawings, the canopy of the embodiment illustrated is cylindrically shaped, having a keyed aperture 12 in the cylindrical surface thereof for receiving a lamp assembly.

The lamp assembly, indicated generally at 13 in the drawing, is mounted within the canopy 11; the assembly 13 includes a mounting bracket 14 and a lamp socket 15 and lens 16 mounted in spaced relation on the bracket. The lens 16 is spaced from the socket 15 such that a light bulb 17 may be readily inserted into the socket. Wire leads 18 extend from the top of the socket 15 for wiring the same into the power line that feeds the lighting fixture.

The lens 16 is secured to the bracket 14 by an outer annular flange 19 having integral tabs 21 mounted thereon, two of which tabs 21a are inwardly bent over and secured to wires 22 fixed as by welding to the bracket 14.

Various of the tabs 21, indicated at 21b, have inwardly bent leading ends 23 and outwardly bent trailing ends 24; the tabs 21b are biased outwardly and are spaced relative to the periphery of the keyed hole 12 in the canopy 11, such that upon insertion of the lamp assembly 13 into the canopy 11, the tabs 2122 spring outwardly, the trailing ends 24 thereof firmly engaging the edges of the 3,126,159 Patented Mar. 24, 1964 aperture 12. The lamp assembly is thereby removably mounted within the canopy, with the lens 16 thereof abutting the cylindrical surface of the canopy providing projection of the light emanated from bulb 17.

The bracket 14 has a pair of tongues 25 struck from or lanced out of its sides. These tongues 25, upon manual partial withdrawal of the lamp assembly 13 from the canopy 11, engage the sides of the keyed aperture 12 and prevent the lamp assembly from separating from the canopy when the assembly is pulled down for relamping.

In operation, whenever the light bulb 17 need be replaced, the annular flange 19 adjacent the lens 16 is grasped and pulled down; the lamp assembly is then withdrawn from the position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 to the position shown in FIGURE 4, wherein the tongues 25 engage the sides of the keyed aperture 12 and retain the lamp assembly 13 partially within the canopy. The bulb 17 may then readily be removed and replaced without exposing any electrical connections (the leads 18 remain contained within the canopy 13, as is evident from FIGURE 4). In this manner the night light can be readily removed and replaced within no more than about 30 seconds.

The night light fixture of this invention is particularly useful as a hospital light, in that a bulb contained therein can be rapidly replaced by any authorized personnel, e.g., maintenance men, orderlies or nurses, without technical assistance, and without disturbing the patient in the adjacent bed.

It will be evident that various modifications can be made in the embodiment of the invention described above, without departing from the scope of the invention; for example, the aperture 12 can be provided in any surface of the canopy 11, as desired. It is therefore intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive privilege or property is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A pull-down night light comprising a supporting canopy suitable for wall mounting having a keyed aperture therein, a lamp assembly receivable in said aperture, said assembly including an elongated bracket and a lamp socket and lens mounted in spaced relation on said bracket, an annular flange member secured to the lens having a plurality of tabs struck therefrom, at least one of said tabs being inwardly bent and secured to said bracket and a plurality of said tabs being outwardly biased toward the walls of said keyed aperture and removably engaging the peripheral edges of said aperture to retain the lamp assembly within said canopy, and at least one tongue lanced out of the sides of said bracket, which tongue engages the edges of said aperture when the lamp assembly is partially withdrawn from the canopy to facilitate removal and replacement of the lamp bulb therein, the tongue thereby preventing separation of the lamp assembly from the canopy.

2. A pull-down night light, comprising a supporting canopy suitable for wall mounting having an aperture therein, and a lamp assembly receivable in said aperture, said assembly including:

an elongated bracket and a lamp socket and lens 3 mounted in spaced relation lengthwise of said bracket;

a plurality of outwardly biased tabs mounted on said bracket adjacent said lens, said tabs normally removably engaging the periphery of the aperture in the supporting canopy to removably retain the lamp assembly within the canopy during operation thereof; and

at least one tongue member integral with said bracket at a point adjacent said lamp socket, said tongue member engaging the sides of the aperture in the supporting canopy upon manual partial withdrawal of the lamp assembly from the canopy and thereby preventing separation of the lamp assembly from the canopy upon replacement of a lamp bulb mounted in said lamp socket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Adams Feb. 21, 1928 Kenerson Sept. 15, 1931 Douglas July 9, 1940 Ross Mar. 29, 1949 Cochran June 28, 1955 Schigut Feb. 18, 1958 

1. A PULL-DOWN NIGHT LIGHT COMPRISING A SUPPORTING CANOPY SUITABLE FOR WALL MOUNTING HAVING A KEYED APERTURE THEREIN, A LAMP ASSEMBLY RECEIVABLE IN SAID APERTURE, SAID ASSEMBLY INCLUDING AN ELONGATED BRACKET AND A LAMP SOCKET AND LENS MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATION ON SAID BRACKET, AN ANNULAR FLANGE MEMBER SECURED TO THE LENS HAVING A PLURALITY OF TABS STRUCK THEREFORM, AT LEAST ONE SAID TABS BEING INWARDLY BENT AND SECURED TO SAID BRACKET AND A PLURALITY OF SAID TABS BEING OUTWARDLY BIASED TOWARD THE WALLS OF SAID KEYED APERTURE AND REMOVABLY ENGAGING THE PERIPHERAL EDGES OF SAID APERTURE TO RETAIN THE LAMP ASSEMBLY WITHIN SAID CANOPY, AND AT LEAST ONE TONGUE LANCED OUT OF THE SIDES OF SAID BRACKET, WHICH TONGUE ENGAGES THE EDGES OF SAID APERTURE WHEN THE LAMP ASSEMBLY IS PARTIALLY WITHDRAWN FROM THE CANOPY TO FACILITATE REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE LAMP BULB THEREIN, THE TONGUE THEREBY PREVENTING SEPARATION OF THE LAMP ASSEMBLY FROM THE CANOPY. 